[Doug Ridley]

You might try a leather tool, the kind used to make holes in belts. They come in different sizes. Pick the size you want, tap it lightly all the way around the garment, then go back in the center of each hole with a dot made by a center punch. I have done it this way and it looks pretty realistic. Sorry I don't have a pic.
The round leather punch can also be used to make buttons.
My $.02 worth.

[Thomp]

doug,

i didnt think of that earlier, it would have worked to a better effect than the look of a coin scalloped edege i came up with. from the v gouge.

i made some eye gouges as i call them out of brass pen tubing and some dowell as handles, i sharpen the inside of the tubing by running a drill bit just inside the lip, and made a knick on the cutting edege to make them cut a little easier being of brass they wouldnt last long if you used them for long periods of time, but you never need them but for 3 to 5 pokes anyway and the tubing comes in any size you need.
i have a set of the hammer type leather punch

i use them for shaping ear tops, eyes bags under the eye and of corse buttons,
unless your in the liking of trygg style who used pegs as buttons.

[deweyrf91]

Just a couple of thoughts on how to carve lace. You could get an old piece of lace of the pattern you want, spray paint through it, that would transfer the pattern then use a rotary carver or punch to get the designs. I have used many things as punches to stamp a very shallow relief. Also, if you have a sand blaster, use rubber or vinyl masking tape, again transfer the design, with either painting through the lace or even use a scanner, scan in the design to the computer, print out onto sticky paper such as label paper, stick to the sandblast mask and cut it out, then sandblast, works real good! I've done it to wood, glass, stone, metal!!

[Thomp]

deweyrf91,

to get that kind of detail yes it could be done on a larger carving , this is a 6 inch carving with a leg big as my little finger, the lace garder would be about 1/2 diameter and 1/16 inch wide, getting intricate would be too dificult as the fibers of lace is compairable to the fibers in the basswood in that size
im sure in the future i will take very special consideration when carving things that need lace.

[deweyrf91]

Oh I see, yes that would be difficult then!